Harry Potter and the Time Twist
by WogglebugLover-AvengingAtheist
Summary: In the middle of sixth year, Harry accidentally transports himself back in time and meets with his Headmaster when he had been his age, and also his great-great grandparents when they had met.
1. Chapter 1

It was the middle of December when snow was falling and cold winds blowing. It was also near to the Christmas holidays for the students at Hogwarts.

In the Hogwarts school castle in the Griffyndor Common Room Harry Potter had this on his mind and much more, including the history essay he was currently trying to get done on the history of wizards and witches marrying muggles. He was also thinking about the book of advanced magic he had found and who the Half-Blood Prince whom it belonged to was; and also whether or not he should attend Professor Slughorn's early Christmas party; and last but not least he was thinking about the periods after classes were over when he would meet with Headmaster Dumbledore and he would show him various memories in his pensive of people who had known Tom Riddle, who was know known as Lord Voldemort, and wondering what he was getting to with them.

Lord Voldemort was a wizard who had gone bad and had killed Harry's parents fifteen years ago because of a prophesy of a boy born at the end of the seventh month who must either kill or be killed by Voldemort. When his parents had perished while protecting him the power of their love for him had backfired Voldemort's spell meant to kill Harry and so he had survived with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead which always burned whenever Voldemort was close by as he had returned to power just two years ago and it was only last year that everyone had actually started to believe it.

Harry had always hated the heavy burden this destiny he had never wished for had thrust upon him. And ever since he had found out about his true identity as being "The Boy Who Lived" he had been constantly trying to live in vain as if he were an ordinary boy, if also a magical one. But at the same time he knew this could never be, though he still wished somehow if just for a short while he could experience life as the others of his world did, and also in a world in which there was no war going on.

"Hermione?"

Harry looked up and glanced over at the table to the left of him where his two closest friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were seated. Hermione, as usual, had her face buried deeply in a heavy book, while Ron was looking at her with a hesitating nervousness as he spoke her name rather quietly. Hermione though just appeared to bury herself even more intensely in the book she was reading without so much as looking up at him.

"Hermione?" Ron tried again in a faltering tone.

"What is it, Ronald?" Hermione muttered dryly without looking at him.

"You... um..." Ron cleared his throat slightly before going on. "You want me to tell you the truth about Lavender?"

Then, as if on cue, Hermione promptly snapped her book shut, got up briskly from her chair and rushed out of the Common Room without a word or another look to Ron. Ron stared after her in dumbfounded defeat.

Harry then turned back to writing his essay. He knew very well what was going on between Ron and Hermione, perhaps even better than either of them did. Ron had been with Lavender Brown since almost the beginning of the school year after he had won the Quidditch Cup and Hermione had been noticeably miserable about this. Harry knew quite well that his two best friends were meant for each other, if only if they could realize that for themselves.

It was some time later when he had nearly forgotten about the previous incident when he felt someone tap him lightly on the shoulder.

"Harry?" came Ron's hesitating voice.

Harry looked up from his nearly done essay and turned toward Ron. "What is it, Ron?" he asked.

"Could... Could you do a small favor for me?" Ron asked rather timidly.

"Well, what kind of favor do you have in mind?" asked Harry who felt he had too much on his mind to worry about already.

"Well... It's... It's about Hermione," Ron began in a lost voice.

"What about her?" asked Harry, though he sensed he already knew.

"I know she thinks I'm a git because I've been with that Lavender for so long now," Ron said in a rush, "But what was going on with Lavender and me was a mistake, I realize that now, and it's over between us."

"Really?" asked Harry rather surprised.

"Yes, it is," Ron continued, "I now understand that it's been Hermione I've been wanting to have all these years. I knew it as soon as I woke up after being in that bloody coma after drinking that poisoned love potion."

"And it's about time," said Harry. "So why don't you just go find her and tell her how you feel about her?"

"I can't, mate. I... can't," Ron said in a hopeless voice. "You must have seen it yourself, I tried to but she won't listen to me. And I don't bloody blame her either. So, could you go to her and tell her how I feel about her for me?"

Harry looked at Ron is surprise. "But, Ron, I can't," he said.

"Why the bloody not?" demanded Ron.

"Well, those are your feelings, and so you should be the one to tell her, not me," Harry said simply.

"But I just told you why I can't, mate!" Ron exclaimed. "She won't even look at me, and even if she would I'd be sure to say the wrong things and make things worse for us both. Whenever she looks at me I just feel warm all over and my heart just races to a hundred miles an hour!"

Harry knew just what Ron meant as he got the same kind of feelings every time Ron's little sister Ginny looked at him. Though he hadn't had the nerve to tell her. So how could he ever tell Hermione Ron's feelings of her for him? But then they were his best friends.

"Look, mate," Harry said finally. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay," said Ron with a sigh. Then he got up and walked out of the room.

Harry then turned to face the window in front of him. He sighed as he looked at the snowflakes falling against the window's glass. He felt once again he was stuck in a tough situation. How was he supposed to tell Hermione about Ron's feelings for her? And if he was did he really expect her to believe him? More likely she would think he was just making it up to make her feel better or something. And if he messed things up Ron would be furious with him and the last thing he needed now was for one or both of his closest friends to turn their backs on him now.

He was so absorbed in these thoughts that he didn't hear the cracking sound enter the room, and he was then quite startled when he heard a high and shrill voice exclaim,

"Harry Potter!"

Harry turned around abruptly to look into the wide gleaming green eyes of Dobby the house elf who was standing at his side.

"Oh, hi Dobby," Harry said managing a small smile. Dobby was another one of his closest friends, and perhaps the most loyal of all of them.

"Is Harry Potter feeling alright?" inquired Dobby with concern.

"I'm fine, Dobby," Harry said weakly, "It's just that... Well, let me put it this way, have you ever felt like you just had to do something for someone who was close to you and yet you didn't know how to do it without making things worse than they already were?"

Dobby smiled as he answered promptly, "Yes, Dobby has, sir."

"Well, what should I do?" asked Harry.

Dobby thought for a moment and then said, "Harry Potter should just let his heart tell him what the right is to do, he should."

Harry smiled. "I should tell that to Ron, I guess," he said. "Thanks Dobby."

"Any time, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said with a low bow. Then the elf went about cleaning up around the room.

It was then that Harry realized how late it was and that he should be getting up to see Dumbledore for tonight's new information. So he quickly picked up his books and parchment and hurried out of the room.

He went up to the Griffyndor Tower where Dumbledore's study was. He entered and found the Headmaster there. Dumbledore turned toward him and looked calmly at him with his wise and gentle blue eyes.

"You are just a tad bit late tonight, Harry," Dumbledore said in his usually calm voice.

"Sorry, Headmaster," Harry said breathlessly.

Dumbledore smiled gently and then said, "Well, now let us view what tonight's memories reveal, shall we?"

Harry nodded, and then they proceeded.

A half hour later they were done and Harry thought he might like to ask Dumbledore for advice on his new situation as well.

"Headmaster," Harry began, "I'm under a lot of stress now."

"I know, Harry, I know," Dumbledore said softly. "In time you'll learn to handle it."

"But I don't mean just because of that stupid prophesy... Sorry," Harry said as Dumbledore's left eyebrow had lifted slightly, "But because of what is going on now with my friends."

"Ron and Hermione?" Dumbledore asked knowingly.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I think they're in love with each other now. Only one doesn't know it and one won't admit it to the other. I just don't know what to do."

Dumbledore smiled understandingly. "Ah, Harry, you should just let your friends be and allow for nature to take its own course. All things come and pass with time, as does love, and if it is a real and pure love it will stay."

Dumbledore than got a wistful look of remembering in his eyes. "Reminds me of when I was just about your age, when I had a similar problem when I was friends with Annette McCoy and Joshua Potter."

Harry blinked. "Were those my grandparents names?" he asked curiously.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, indeed your great-great grandparents. They were very close friends of mine here from year one through seventh. I remember how when I first saw them together I somehow knew they were destined to be with each other for life. Your grandfather loved your grandmother very early on, but he was always to shy to come right out and admit it to her. While your grandmother thought he wasn't noticing her and it was breaking her heart. They both confided in me about this constantly. I was in a tough situation. Then one day your grandmother was seen with Narco Malfoy and your grandfather knew he was trouble. Then one day, out of the blue, he approached her and told how much he had always loved her, and she said she felt the same way with him. Then they vowed never to separate from each other ever again, and of course they never did for that was how your father was born."

Harry smiled. He now felt more at ease, as well as enlightened to know some more about the family which he never knew. "Thanks, Headmaster," he said.

"You're welcome, Harry," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry then turned to leave but then Dumbledore stopped him and said, "Oh, and by the way, Harry. Could you do me a small favor and pick something up for me in Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"Of course. What is it?" asked Harry.

"It is called an Omnicron. It should be with Ms. Fletcher in the Gift Exchanging Shop of Hogsmeade."

"What is an Omnicron?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore's face became gravely serious. "It is a very rare, almost one of a kind, magical device that has belonged to great wizards passed down from centuries upon centuries. And if it were to get misplaced and into the wrong hands it would cause disasters of cosmic proportions. Which is why I must have it and as soon as possible."

"Yes, Headmaster," Harry said. "Are you sure you want to trust me with something like that?"

"Harry," Dumbledore said with his familiar smile again, "I would trust you with my life."


	2. Chapter 2

A fierce blizzard blew sharply through the air as Harry was making his way through Hogsmeade. He trudged on through the snow which past his ankles almost up to his knees. The strong wind seemed to be trying to blow him backward every second and the snowflakes slapped hard against his face and covered his glasses so that he was having to rub them off every few seconds as well as hold them onto his face lest the wind snatch them off.

_I must make it to the Gift Exchange Shop and back safely. Dumbledore trusts me,_ Harry told himself determinedly.

Then at last he came in sight of a small building that had a a sign on top of it that read _Foley Fletcher's Gift Exchange_. He drew out his breath in a thick frosty mist as he clambered up to the shop and pushed the door open and stumbled his way inside. He shoved the door closed, leaving the raging blizzard behind it.

He took off his glasses momentarily and wiped them off on his scarf and then put them back on and observed his surroundings. Everywhere he looked he saw the most wondrous things sitting on shelves and in corners. Things such as cauldrons made of pure gold, large feathered pens that seemed to be of phoenix feathers, and highly expensive looking jewelry of colors he had never seen before.

He looked towards the front counter and saw there was a short tubby round elderly witch bending over it with her back turned from him. He reckoned this was Ms. Fletcher the shop owner.

Harry cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said.

Ms. Fletcher abruptly turned around toward him and her face lit up in delight as her gaze fell on him.

"Oh my lucky stars! It's Harry Potter!" she gasped.

Harry smiled humbly. He was now quite used to such reactions. "I've come to pick up something for Professor Dumbledore," he said, "An Omni... something."

"Oh yes! The Omnicron!" exclaimed Ms. Fletcher. She then bent down and appeared to be reaching deep inside of the counter. She then came back up holding a small golden round object.

"Here it is," she said as she handed it to him. "Take very good care of it now. It has powers beyond this world."

Harry looked at the Omnicron. It seemed like a cross between a pocket watch and a compass. It had a pair of needles pointing at numbers that were arranged in the form of sets of years and in between them were the numbers one to twelve. There were also two small round lights on it, one green and one red.

He looked up and nodded to the shop owner and then tucked the Omnicron into his coat pocket and turned to leave. He opened the door and let in a huge gust of wind and snow. He hugged himself against the biting chill of the blizzard as he left the shop.

"Be careful how you handle the Omnicron!" Ms. Fletcher called after him, "or you might end up creating a time portal with it!" Harry barely heard these last words as the wind was howling so loudly around his ears as he stepped outside and the door swung itself shut.

Harry thought the blizzard seemed to have gotten far worse as he trudged feebly through the deep snow drifts back towards Hogwarts. The snowflakes seemed to have grown larger as the covered the lenses of his glasses. He paused to to wipe them off, and accidentally they were knocked off by the wind and fell into the snow.

With his vision all a blur he bent down and felt around in the numbingly cold snow for his glasses for a few moments before finding them. As he put his glasses back on he caught a glimpse of the Omnicron as it fell into the snow after having fallen out of his coat pocket. Much alarmed he bent back down into the snow to retrieve it. He scooped away mounds of snow and then dug out the Omnicron. It was covered almost entirely in snow.

Desperately hoping that snow wouldn't damage its function, whatever it was, he began wiping and brushing the snow off of it with his fingers. As he did so he felt the needles on it turning this way and that way, and then suddenly he saw the green light on it begin blinking rapidly.

Harry felt puzzled for a moment and then the next moment he felt a particularly powerful gust of the blizzard push hard against him from behind. He took a subconscious step forward and then felt his stomach give a great lurch and his vision being blinded by what he guessed was an immense amount of white snow shining in the sun, and then felt himself falling face first into a thick snow drift.

"Hey there! Are you alright?" Harry heard the soft concerned voice of someone from above him.

He opened his eyes and blinked the snow out of them. He then sat up, adjusting his glasses and spitting out snow. When he looked up he saw to his astonishment that the blizzard had completely stopped as if it had just been switched off.

He looked to the side of him and saw a boy he had never seen before. He looked to be around his age and had slightly long reddish hair and wore glasses in the shape of half moons. His eyes a warmish blue color and his face was dotted with light freckles. He was wearing a Hogwarts Gryfindor robe indicating that he was from around here, though Harry had never expected any other students to be out today in the harsh weather.

The boy standing above bent down and held out his hand to Harry which he took and he gently helped up to his feet again.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked. "You took quite a spill there."

"I'm okay," Harry said breathlessly as he brushed the excess snow off of his robes. "Who are you?" he asked as he looked up at the boy.

"I'm Albus," he replied.

"Albus?" Harry was sure he had never known of a student in his year with that name, the same as the Headmaster's name.

"Albus Dumbledore," said the boy.

Harry now began looking around him in bewilderment. Most of the buildings around him looked quite different, either painted different or constructed differently, and some also had different names attached to them.

"Where am I?" he asked unthinkingly.

"You're in the center of Hogsmeade, didn't you know that?" replied Albus. "Aren't you from around here?"

Harry turned his gaze toward a newspaper stand nearby that had the Daily Prophet displayed on it. His eyes locked onto the date printed on it. It was December 20, 1917!

_If this is 1917, _Harry thought, _then that explains why everything looks so different here, and Albus must really be Professor Dumbledore when he was my age. But how did I get here?_

Harry turned back to Albus blinking in confusion and astonishment. "Uh... No," he said. "I'm not from around here."

"Where are you from then?" asked Albus. "And how did you get here?"

"I'm from very far away from here," replied Harry uneasily. "And I don't know how I got here. I just fell into the snow and found myself here."

"Then you must have gone through a port-key," said Albus. "What about your parents? Do you know where they are?"

"My parents are both dead," replied Harry softly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't know," said Albus sympathetically.

"I don't know how I got here and I don't know how to get back to where I was either," Harry said.

"And I suppose you have no place to stay around here either," said Albus.

Harry shook his head.

"Well, then you can come and stay with me and my friends in Godric's Hollow," Albus said invitingly. "We're just about to get onto the train to go there as it is the Winter Holidays. I have a friend by the name of Nicholas Flammel there who may know how to get you back to where you came from."

"Really? Gosh, thanks!" said Harry very gratefully. He could see his Headmaster was the same as he was in his time.

Then as Harry began following Albus out of Hogsmeade Albus turned to him and said, "What is your name? I nearly forgot to ask."

"Harry Potter," he replied.

"Harry... Potter?" repeated Albus with a hint of suspicion. "You wouldn't by any chance happen to be related to my friend Joshua Potter, would you?"

"Um... No... I don't think so," replied Harry trying to contain his nervousness. "I've never heard of him."

"Well," said Albus, "Joshua is a really good friend of mine, right next to Elphias Doge. We've all been close together ever since we first arrived at Hogwarts five years ago. I have always valued their friendships as I was something of an outcast when I first came. You see my father is in Azkaban and made me not too popular among everyone at the time."

Harry was quite shocked to hear that Albus's father was in Azkaban. "I'm quite sorry to hear that," he said. "I never would have known. But why is he in Azkaban? If you don't mind my asking."

Albus looked down ruefully a moment as he replied. "He cursed three young muggles out of revenge for their hurting my little sister Ariana. They saw her doing magic and when she tried to do it again for them and couldn't they just went mad and attacked her, or so I heard."

Harry would never have imagined this either. "That's so terrible," he said.

"It is," said Albus quietly. "Especially because the pain of what she went through has left her in very ill health."

"How do you mean?" asked Harry.

"She has lost all of her ability to control her magic," Albus said sorrowfully. "She fires off spells of all kinds at any given moment. She will never be able to go to Hogwarts and become a proper witch because of it." He blinked back tears a moment.

Harry was completely astounded that there had been so much pain and injustice in his Headmaster's young life. But then it rather made him see how he got his compassionate streak.

Just then they left Hogsmeade and were heading towards the Hogwarts Express. As they approached three boys went up to them. One looked to be about three years younger than the rest of them and like Albus he had red hair and freckles and blue eyes with glasses. Another was short and stocky with thin brown hair and brown eyes. The last one was tall and skinny with neat black hair and blue eyes and wore slightly crooked glasses.

"Albus, we've been waiting for you," said the boy with brown hair and eyes. "Who is he?" he asked looking towards Harry.

"This is Harry Potter," Albus said as he made the introductions. "Harry this is my brother Aberforth, and this is my best mate Elphias, and this is Joshua who I told you about."

Harry shook hands with each of them one by one. At Joshua's turn he could clearly see the family resemblance between them.

"Your last name is Potter?" Joshua said in astonishment. "So is mine! But I don't remember ever seeing you around here before. Where did you come from?"

"I'm just lost," Harry said softly.

"It seems he fell through a port-key of some kind," Albus said. "He has nowhere to go and so I invited him to come stay with us over the holidays until we can find a way to send him back to where he was."

"Oh, I see," said Joshua. "Well, we'll be very glad to have you with us, Harry."

The five of them headed onto the train as the whistle gave a blow and gathered into their compartments.

Harry sat between Albus and Elphias and wondered how he was to get back to his own time, especially if he didn't even know how he had fallen through a time portal to begin with. But he also felt he should trust Albus and his friends to solve the problem for him somehow.


	3. Chapter 3

The train ride was mainly uneventful. When they arrived at platform nine-and-three-quarters at King's Cross Station they disembarked and Harry stayed close to Albus and Joshua.

He noticed Joshua was glancing over to his left. He looked in the direction and saw that he seemed to be studying a tall and stately girl with long curly red hair and hazel colored eyes. She glanced briefly over in his direction and smiled at him. Harry looked again at Joshua and saw that he seemed to be completely transfixed with her.

Just then, Albus nudged him in the shoulder as he whispered, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on and ask her. It's now or never you know."

Joshua was instantly snapped out of his trance and looked briefly at Albus with a very nervous expression on his face, and then turned and walked slowly and with timid steps toward the pretty girl with curly red hair.

Albus smiled while Harry looked at him in confusion and asked, "What is this all about?"

"That girl over there is Annette McCoy," Albus explained. Then Harry understood everything, though Albus continued on. "Joshua has been fancying her for the past three years now. I think he must have fallen in love with her by now. But he is so shy that he's never told her how he feels about her. He gets so nervous whenever she's near he hardly ever even gets close to her. But this year I convinced him to ask her to come to his house for Christmas dinner, and I assured him me and Aberforth will come too so as to make him feel more at ease." He then looked to Harry and asked, "Would you like to come, too?"

"Sure, I'd love to," said Harry.

Just then, Joshua came back to them. He had huge wide smile spread across his face.

Albus returned his smile. "You did it!" he exclaimed.

"I did! You were right all along, Albus," said Joshua happily. "Annette really is such a sweet girl she accepted my invitation without questioning it!"

Albus nodded. Then he and Joshua embraced and then they went their separate ways.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Joshua meeting with his parents, who were Harry's great-grandparents, and also his younger brother and sister. Then he with Albus and Aberforth met with the Dumbledore brothers mother who was standing on the edge of the platform. She looked something like a taller and thinner and somewhat older version of Mrs. Weasley. When she saw her two boys she opened up her arms and caught them in a wide embrace. She then kissed them both on their foreheads.

She then looked up and saw Harry. So then Albus said, "Mum, this is Harry Potter. He's lost in our part of the world and he has no parents and nowhere to go and so I told him he could stay with us until we find a way to get him back to where he came from."

Mrs. Dumbledore looked sympathetically at Harry and smiled tenderly at him. "Of course you can stay with us," she assured him.

"Thanks," said Harry gratefully.

So then Harry went with the Dumbledore family to their home in Godric's Hollow. He found it was a very quaint and cozy house as he stepped inside and observed the parlor's furnishings.

Then as they were taking off their outer winter garments a house-elf with huge sparkling blue eyes wearing a pair of baggy overalls came in out of the kitchen. Beside him was a little girl of about ten years old with short red hair wearing a pale green polka-dot dress. Her face wore a very timid and nervous expression.

"It is so good to see young masters home for the holidays once again, it is!" exclaimed the house-elf as he ran forward and hugged both boys around their waists at the same time.

"Harry, this is Grooby, our house-elf," said Albus. "Grooby, this is Harry Potter and he will be spending the holidays with us."

"Grooby is so happy to meet Harry Potter, he is!" Grooby exclaimed rapturously as he hugged Harry around his waist as though he were a member of the family.

"He's wearing clothes," Harry acknowledged.

"Because he is free," explained Albus.

"Grooby is proud to be free!" the young elf said.

"Why is he free?" asked Harry.

"Dad set him free a long time ago," explained Albus, "because he felt that it wasn't right for an elf as loving and loyal as Grooby to be forced to wear rags."

"Grooby has stayed with the Dumbledore family because he would not ever want to be with any other family. There be no family nicer than them," Grooby said looking up at them all with big puppy-dog eyes.

Harry was really struck with how much Grooby seemed like Dobby in both manner and appearance. Though before he could dwell any further on this Aberforth introduced their little sister.

"Harry, this is Ariana, our little sister whom I believe Albus has told you about."

Harry nodded. "Yes, he has," he said. "There's no need to explain further." He then looked down at the little girl and smiled as he said, "Hello, Araina. My name is Harry Potter. I am very pleased to meet you."

Ariana smiled shyly at Harry and then rushed quickly back into the kitchen.

Mrs. Dumdledore then said, "Dinner will be ready shortly. You three can just make yourselves comfortable."

So then Harry, Albus, and Aberforth sat around the parlor table and they told Harry about how their life was like here, while he told them what his was like where he came from.

"I have a friend named Hermione Granger," he said, "she really loves books and she is really smart because of them. You might even say she's brilliant. She is also one of the most understanding people I've ever known. I also have a friend named Ron Weasley, he's my best mate actually. He's somewhat clumsy as a wizard but he's also very dedicated and a prefect."

"I'm a prefect also," said Albus.

"You are? I didn't know that!" said Harry. But then he figured he should have known.

"Well, I didn't think it was really important to mention it," said Albus very humbly.

"That's my brother for you," said Aberforth. "Modest as a mouse as always when he should have the pride of an eagle."

"Hey, I only got all the O.W.L.'s I did because I earned them," said Albus. "I have nothing to brag about really."

"Maybe, but how often do students actually get seven O.W.L.'s?" asked Aberforth a bit irritably.

"Well, our friend Nicholas Flammel says he did when he was at Hogwarts," said Albus a bit defensively.

Then before the argument could go on anymore Mrs. Dumbledore called them all into the kitchen for supper.

Then as they all sat around the table eating, along with Grooby who sat with them just like an equal, they talked about their plans for the holidays.

"Tomorrow we're gonna go Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley for our friends and relatives," said Albus. "Would you like to come with us, Harry. You don't have to, of course, as I imagine you don't know anyone around here to shop for."

"No, but that's okay. I'll come with you. I don't mind," Harry assured them.

"Then we're gonna go singing with the Potters and the Longbottoms," continued Aberforth. "Do you want to come along to, Harry?"

"Thanks, but I really can't sing," Harry said a bit embarrassed.

"After that comes the Christmas party with the Potters," continued Albus, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Harry. The Potters have always been known to have the best Christmas parties around here."

"I'm sure of it," said Harry a bit wistfully. The life he could have had if only his parents had lived, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Albus with concern. "You look a bit sad."

"I'm just a bit homesick is all," said Harry. "And I miss my parents, even though I never got to know them because they've been dead for fifteen years."

"Oh, I understand," said Albus kindly. "We haven't seen our Dad since we were very young either. Though our friend Nicholas Flammel, though he can't replace our Dad of course, has often been like a father to us. Your family isn't always who's blood you share but who's love you share."

"Yes, that's true," Harry said with a warm smile.


	4. Chapter 4

That night Harry slept in Albus's bedroom in a sleeping bag on the floor. The next day right after breakfast he, Albus, and Aberforth went by floo powder to Diagon Alley. Once there, Harry saw that it looked very different from the one he was familiar with, just as it had been with Hogsmeade. A lot of the stores were painted differently and also had extremely different things on display in their windows.

They soon met up with Joshua and there was another boy with him with light brown hair and eyes.

"Good to see you again, Harry," Joshua said in greeting. "This is Benjamin Longbottom, he is my best mate," he said indicating the other boy.

"Hello," said Benjamin extending a hand toward Harry.

"Hello," said Harry, realizing this was Neville's grandfather.

"So where would you like to shop first?" asked Albus.

"I think in the toy shop first," said Joshua, "because I want to get the presents for my two young siblings before I forget again."

And so they went into a small red and blue painted shop with a long side spread across it's front that read 'Magically Enhanced Toys and Dolls'.

"I'll get my sister Penny one of these baby stuffed owls," said Joshua. He selected an owl from a display of them with a sigh above them that said 'They do everything a real owl can do except live'. "She will be starting at Hogwarts in a few more years," Joshua continued, "And she can practice taking care of a real owl before then."

Albus looked around at all of the toys and said thoughtfully to Aberforth, "I suggest this year we get something for Ariana that she can actually put to good use."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Aberforth. "But what?"

Albus looked around for a moment longer and then he focused his gaze on something that was new. "I mean like one of these new In-Reverse Voodoo Dolls so that when she has the urges to fire off unpredictable spells it can catch them for us."

"Sure," said Aberforth. "It ought to make life a bit easier for all of us. Provided she never accidentally loses it or destroys it, of course."

As Albus selected one of the dolls for Ariana, Joshua had moved on to another section a few yards away where there was a large display of junior sized quidditch brooms, snitches, and quaffles. "I should get these for my little brother Perry," he said. "He's been trying to fly so often he's actually been able to lift off of the floor a few inches now."

Then after they had purchased the items they had bought and had them wrapped they left the Toy Shop and headed down the street. They hadn't gone very far down when they met up with another boy. He was tall and thin with blonde hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail. His eyes were dark and sharp and seemed somehow mysterious.

The other boys around Harry frowned as he approached them. "Uh oh," whispered Aberforth. "Here comes Narco Malfoy. Be on your guard, Harry. He doesn't often take kindly to outsiders."

Just then, Narco came up to them and smirked slightly as he noticed the packages they had with them. "Well, look who's been out Christmas shopping." He then looked directly at Joshua. "Well, and if it isn't the scrawny blighter with the four eyes!"

Everyone glared at Narco, though Joshua managed to reply with calmness, "Yes, we have been Christmas shopping. We still are in fact. What about you, don't you have someone you want to shop for? Your mother perhaps?"

Narco frowned and replied, "Why yes, in fact I do. That's why I'm here in fact. I was just about to head into the Fancy Gifts department just now."

"That is where we're heading to now," said Albus cordially. "So if it pleases you to do so you may come with us."

Harry turned to stare at Albus while Narco replied, "Yes, it would really please me a lot. Let's go."

So then the six of them headed into a large department store that was painted golden brown with glittering stars all over it. When Harry stepped inside of it he could hardly believe his eyes. Everywhere he looked there were rows upon rows of shelves lined with extremely valuable and pricey looking items. He wondered why he had never seen this store here before, and then he supposed it must have gone out of business at some time.

Benjamin went up to a large display of stone animals with a sign hanging below them that read 'Will come to life at any time'. "

"I think I'll get one of these for my Mum," said Benjamin. "This puppy one will be it."

Narco scoffed at it. "As if she would want a mangy mongrel coming to life at any given moment! Now one of these," he added as he picked up a stone snake in a coiled position, "would be a wiser choice for her."

Benjamin scowled at Narco. "Would be better for your mother, you mean!"

Narco just frowned as he selected the stone snake and took it with him to the checkout counter.

Albus then turned to Joshua and said, "Well, now that you're in here you might as well take advantage of your opportunity to get a special present for a certain special someone."

Joshua blushed visibly and said, "What could I possibly get for her when she deserves to have only the best and I don't even know what the best is?"

"Just look around here," said Albus. "There's bound to be something that will please her."

Then Joshua looked around and then set his gaze on a wide display of a variety of items with a sign pasted on the shelf above them which read, 'Powerfully Potent Love Charms'.

Albus followed his gaze. "Sure. Let's go right over there and see what we can find for her."

He then gave Joshua a very slight and gentle shove towards the display. There were items that looked like large heart-shaped clocks and bottles and boxes of all sizes.

"Let's see," said Albus as he read over the labels on the items on display before them. "Lover's perfume and cologne... Time-induced love spells... Looking-glass love reflectors..."

Then Joshua set his eyes onto a single item that seemed to stand out from all of the rest of the items. It was a small red heart on which there was a tiny figurine of what appeared to be a bard wearing shiny golden tunic and holding a golden harp in his hands.

"I wonder what this is for," Joshua said curiously.

Albus looked at the price tag attached to it on which was written in addition to the cost of it was a description of it. It read, 'Genuine, one-of-a-kind, love song playing minstrel. Guaranteed to charm any lover's heart with true magic'.

Albus looked at Joshua. "So do you want to get this for her?"

Joshua only nodded.

So then Albus picked up the bard and brought it over to the checkout counter with Joshua following him.

"So who is this thing for?" asked Narco eying the bard with an envious gaze.

"For someone special to me," replied Joshua a bit meekly.

"That wouldn't happen to be Annette McCoy, now would it?" asked Narco commandingly.

Joshua only nodded.

Narco sneered. "You can't be serious! She could never like someone like you, let alone want someone like you, Potter! No matter what you give to her she won't!"

Aberforth and Benjamin glared at Narco as Albus said calmly, "Ah! Jealousy personified! I might have known it was you all along! You know very well, Narco, that it is you who Annette could never like or want regardless of what you gave to her, and it seems to me just facing the truth would be better than blaming innocent Joshua for your loss."

Narco now turned very red in the face. He then made a motion that looked as if he were about to reach for his wand. But just then they heard a yelp from behind them which caused them all to turn their heads toward the distraction.

Harry had seen a very strange and peculiar looking plant with a sign pasted on its pot containing it that read, 'Grows with staring attention, cautioned'. He had stared hard at the plant and then from out of nowhere its vines shot out of it and twined themselves around his neck and began to choke him painfully.

Then his friends followed by the shopkeeper quickly rushed to his aid and worked for a few moments to disentangle him from the plant's grasp. When at last they were able to do this Harry gasped and clutched at his throat.

"I don't think I'll ever look at any plant the same way ever again!" he exclaimed.

"Well," said the shopkeeper as she placed the plant who's long vines had disappeared back into it's pot, "let that be a lesson to you."

Then they went back to the checkout counter where Narco was still standing and paid for their newly wrapped presents and then left the store.

They separated themselves from Narco shortly afterward. Then Harry said, "What was that all about in there?"

"It is a well known fact around here and at Hogwarts," Albus explained, "that Narco Malfoy has had his eyes set on Annette McCoy for a long time but she wants nothing to with him at all and he can't take the hint. While I do believe Joshua here could easily win her heart if just trusted himself with it.. And after next year he might not get another chance so I was very persuasive towards him about it this year. You see, they are both my friends and I want them both to be happy. And I also hope if they ever have a son they will raise him to be confident in himself."


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few days Harry spent much of his time with the Dumbledore brothers. They played Quidditch in the afternoons along with Elphias and Benjamin, and Joshua. They were all impressed with Harry's Quidditch skills.

"I should really hope to one day have a son who can catch a snitch as easily as you can," Joshua had said to him after their first game. "As you've seen I have the poorest skills at it in Hogwarts."

They also played games like exploding snap, and wizard's chess at which they were also impressed with Harry's skills at, and an old-fashioned card game called mix and matchmaker in which you had to select the best matching pairs of cards and the figures on the cards came to life and spoke to you after you picked them up and added them to your deck and the one with the most matches would win.

They also made a few last minute preparations for Christmas. They added ornaments to their tree, and they helped Mrs. Dumbledore bake cookies and brownies and such to take to the Potters Christmas party with them. At one point Ariana fired off an out of control spell when she was sampling one of the cookies and caused a batch to explode so then they had to bake another batch.

Then when Christmas day came and after they had opened their own presents they headed on over to the Potters which was about three blocks away from them. They were welcomed most warmly by Harry's great-grandparents. Harry met with Joshua's younger brother Perry, who looked even more like him than Joshua did, and his sister Penny who had long brown hair that was in ponytails and hazel eyes that showed she was more on the mother's side of the family.

"How did you get that scar on your forehead?" Penny had asked Harry curiously.

"I..." Harry paused a moment in thought, "I got in a car crash that my parents died in."

"What is a car?" Penny asked.

"It's... something we get around in from where I come from," Harry said.

They all exchanged their gifts to one another. They watched happily as Perry opened his and began ecstatic at seeing the Quidditch training set and almost before they knew it he was off flying around the room until he almost knocked over a table with a vase on it so that he was told to take it outside with him. And then Penny was delighted also with her toy pet own who cooed ans squeaked and nibbled at her ears almost as if it were a live one.

Then the moment finally came when Joshua was to give his gift to Annette. They all stood around watching with smiles of anticipation on their faces.

"Annette," Joshua began a bit hesitantly, "I bought this specially for you. It reminded me of you and of what you mean to me when I saw it and so I had to get it for you. I hope you'll like it as much as I do."

He then handed her the the present wrapped in red and gold paper. She slowly unwrapped it and then opened the box underneath. Inside it she found a large stone snake sitting in a coil and it sprang to life as soon as she gave a yelp of surprise and it extended itself up to her face and licked her nose with its long thin slithery tongue.

Annette was so horrified by this that she dropped the box with the snake in it to the floor. She then looked at Joshua with a mixture of hurt, disbelief, shock, and rage. "Joshua Potter, do you mean to tell me this is what I mean to you and how you think about me?"

Joshua had been even more shocked than she was and he just stuttered and stammered over his words. "I...I... I... uh... no... I...well... I just... uh..."

Annette glared at him furiously and then turned around and taking her hat and coat she promptly stormed out of the front door and left.

Everyone was left in a state of shock at what had just took place. Harry was especially mortified by it. Dumbledore had never mentioned this happening and he felt it wasn't supposed to happen either.

Then Albus cleared his throat and politely excused himself along with the rest of the boys in the room to step into the kitchen for a few moments. Once they were in there they immediately began to talk about what had just took place.

"What happened?" Aberforth asked Joshua. "I could have sworn you were going to give her the musically enchanted bard we found in the shop."

"I was!" exclaimed Joshua incredulously. "And I thought that I was going to, too. I really did. I don't know what happened to it. I can't figure it out."

They were silent for a few moments as they contemplated what could have happened. And then Benjamin's eyes lit up with realization.

"I think I know exactly what happened," he said. "Remember when we met Narco just before we went into the shop and he mentioned about liking the bring-to-life snake better than the bring-to-life puppy I was getting for my mum? And you know how he has always been pining for Annette himself?"

He needed to say no more as they all then got what he was getting to. Realization and horror dawned on their faces, especially Harry's.

"Why that no-good, low-life, mean-spirited, deceiving dragon scum!" Joshua exclaimed in rage. Then he quickly lowered his voice as he didn't want anyone in the next room to hear him. "Narco stole my gift to Annette by switching packages."

Harry now felt extremely guilty as he also realized how and when Narco had done it. "And he must have done it when you all went with shopkeeper to untangle me from that vicious plant that I looked at there. I'm so sorry, Joshua. I never should have looked at that plant. I should no better by now than stare at things I don't understand."

"Now, don't feel bad about yourself, Harry," Albus said, "What happened has happened and now our objective is to fix up this terrible mix-up."

"Are you sure we can, though?" asked Joshua doubtfully. "I mean, you saw the look on Annette's face. I don't know how to convince her I didn't give that snake to her on purpose."

Harry realized then just how serious the situation they were in was. For if Annette did not fall in love with Joshua then they wouldn't get married and then they wouldn't have children, and then he wouldn't be born, and then worst of all Lord Voldemort wouldn't have been defeated when he was. He then forced his mind to think as quickly and adequately as he possibly could.

"Well..." he said after a few moments, "What about a pensive? Maybe we could get her to look into a pensive and see what happened in the shop."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Joshua, "except I don't have a pensive." He then looked at his friends in turn.

"I don't have a pensive, either," said Benjamin.

"I don't even know anyone who has a pensive," said Elphias.

"But I do!" Albus said. "My friend Nicholas Flammel does. He keeps one at his house in his study. He's let me look into it a few times over the years. I'm sure if we explain our situation to him he will let us look into it."

'I hope so," said Joshua. "I really do."

"So do I," said Harry sincerely.

They finished having the Christmas party that evening by eating the goodies and singing carols around an old-fashioned piano. Then the very next morning they all set out toward the home of Nicholas Flammel with Albus leading the way as he knew it by heart.

They had not gone very far when they saw Narco Malfoy approaching them from down the street. They all felt a rush of anger and hatred for him, especially Joshua and Harry. When he reached them he smirked a smirk that looked triumphant and made them all feel very queasy inside.

"I just wanted to say thanks to you, Potter," he said with a mockingly happy grin to Joshua, "for giving me the best present to give to Annette McCoy. She now knows how I feel about her and she will now be my eternal lover."

Everyone was horrified at this and all the more angered, while Joshua was completely enraged and he lunged at Narco, but Albus quickly restrained him

"If you'll excuse us, Narco, we have some important business to attend to," Albus said with a surprising calmness which was not unfamiliar with him as Harry knew.

They then proceeded onward with Harry giving one last glare of hatred in Narco's direction.

They reached the home of Nicholas Flammel. They knocked on the door and heard a voice from inside say, "Come in."

They entered and found a room filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of things like books and countless magical instruments and nick-knacks. They saw a very, very, old looking wizard seated in the far corner of the room beside the fireplace smoking on a very old looking pipe. Harry was stunned by how much he resembled how Dumbledore would look in later life, though he had to admit he looked much older even he did have the same half-moon spectacles and long white beard that fell past his chest. When he saw them he turned around with the chair turning with him and smiled warmly at them all and looked toward Albus knowingly.

"Welcome back, Albus," he said in the lowest voice Harry had ever heard. "And it's nice to see you again as well, Aberforth. Are these friends of yours?"

"Yes," said Albus. "This is Benjamin Longbottom, Elphias Doge, and Joshua Potter, and Harry Potter who is just visiting with us around here."

"Pleased to meet all of you," said Nicholas. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Albus then explained everything to him. "Joshua has always been in love with Annette McCoy but he was always too shy to let her know it. Then last month I finally convinced him to tell her in a way that was easy enough for him. He invited her to his Christmas party and bought her a special gift. It was a musical bard that plays love songs. But then Narco Malfoy switched the present with a very undesirable one and so Joshua gave it to her and now she hates him and Narco gave the present he was going to give to her himself and now she's in love with him instead. So we came here to ask you if we could use your pensive to show her what really happened."

"Yes, indeed you may," Nicholas assured them. "I understand the seriousness of your situation very well."

"Thank you, sir!" said Joshua with much relief. "This will mean a lot to me."

Nicholas smiled warmly and said as he looked at Harry, "And to make sure everything goes well you may invite Annette to come here with you for afternoon tea without mentioning Joshua coming also."

"What a good idea!" said Harry also much relieved.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" asked Nicholas.

"No, that will be all," said Albus. "And thanks again."

They all then turned to leave. But then Harry stopped abruptly and turned back to face Nicholas again.

"There is one other thing, actually," he said. "I am from another place," he then looked back to make sure he was out of earshot and then lowered his voice to a near whisper as he continued, "and I'm also from another time. I got here after I touched an Omnichron a certain way but I don't know how I did it or how to get back to my own time."

Nicholas looked at him very solemnly and then said, "I see. Well, young Mr. Potter, I believe I may know how to send you back to your own time and place. I will have to work on it though as it takes much time and concentration to create a time portal."

Harry nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you, sir," he said just before he rejoined the others.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day they went about in their plan. Albus sent a swift owl to Annette telling her he and Aberforth and Harry were invited to tea at Nicholas Flammel's home that afternoon and wanted her to come to. She owled them back right away saying she would be delighted to come as she had always want to make the acquaintance of Nicholas.

When they received her response they were all very confident that everything would turn out as planned. Although Joshua was still a bit apprehensive about it.

"It would have been easier for me before the Christmas party," he said. "Now it will be more difficult because she hates me."

"Just stay calm," said Albus to him. "After all, what's the worst that could happen there? She could just spill her tea onto you on purpose is all I can imagine."

"She could also leave before we get the chance to look into the pensive," Joshua said very worriedly.

"I didn't think of that," said Albus. He then began to think of a way to prevent such a thing from happening and then he had it. "I know! When she comes I'll hide her purse from her and then she'll want to know where it is before she leaves and we'll suggest using the pensive."

"Brilliant!" said Joshua grateful. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you as my friend."

Then that afternoon the three of them went to Nicholas Flammel's home a bit early. And then a few minutes after they arrived Annette came in. The moment she saw Joshua she looked shocked and for a moment seemed to be contemplating about leaving right then but quickly decided against it and then she glared accusingly at Albus.

"Good afternoon, Annette," said Nicholas Flammel.

"Good afternoon," she replied a bit coldly. "I've heard so much about you and it really is an honor to meet you now."

Then as Annette put her purse down Albus quietly came in from the next room and took it and hid it some place secret.

They then all sat down to tea. They all ate and drank mostly quietly as none of them were much in the mood for talking as Annette wanted to avoid speaking to Joshua as much as possible and the other three knew it and were too concentrated on their plan.

Then as soon as tea was over with, sure enough, Annette got up from her seat saying, "Well, thank you all for having me here today. Now I really must be on my way home."

She then went to get her purse and she stopped abruptly when she didn't find it where she thought it was. A look of confusion and worry came upon her face.

"Where is my purse?" she asked. "I can't possibly leave without it."

"Don't worry," said Albus reassuringly. "I'm sure if it's around here some place we'll be sure to find it."

"It will save us time and tidiness also to look for it in the easy way," said Nicholas. "So you are more than welcome to look into my pensive to see where it is."

"Oh, thank you!" Annette said very gratefully.

So then they went into an adjoining room which was lined high with shelves full of books and in the center there was a high round table with the silvery bowl of clear liquid on top of it which they recognized as being the pensive.

They stepped up to it and Annette took her wand out and started to bring it up to her right temple when Joshua cut her off abruptly and said hurriedly, "Annette, wait a moment, please! First there is something I have to show you from my memory."

Annette looked at him witch much annoyance. "Is it really necessary?" she asked irritably.

"It is!" said Joshua looking into her with much pleading.

"Okay," she said, softening a bit. "But do get on with it."

And so Joshua took out his wand and touched it to his right temple and extracted a thin silvery strand from it and then carefully placed it into the silver bowl. Annette then sighed with exasperation as she looked into it.

She saw how Joshua had found the musical bard the week before and had bought it and how then Narco had switched the packages easily as they had been wrapped up in identical wrapping paper. When she came up from looking in the pensive her face registered a look of complete shock and realization. She then looked apologetically at Joshua.

"Oh, Joshua! I'm so sorry! I might have known what really happened because Narco would be more likely to get a snake as he is in Slytherin and he would be likely to pull a dirty trick like that as he has been pining for me for years. Now I see you love me as much as I have loved you for years."

Joshua stared at her in shock. "You love me, too?"

"Yes, and I wanted to tell you," she said, "but I thought you would be unable to return it as you always seemed so uninterested in me."

"I was always interested in you, honest I was," Joshua said, "I was just always afraid of what you think of me if I let myself known to you."

"Joshua, I wish you had told me about yourself much sooner. Because I realize now that it is you who I could only have true feelings of love for, and not Narco, never him! Can you please forgive me?"

Joshua was smiling now. "Of course I can," he assured her. "And would you like to go out with me tomorrow night for dinner and a dance?"

"Thank you. I would love to!" she said happily.

They all looked with smiles of satisfaction on their faces as Joshua and Annette smiled at each other with love and adoration. Then Albus cleared his throat and said, "Well, what about your purse, Annette?"

"Oh, that's right! I had completely forgotten it for a moment!" she exclaimed.

"Here it is," Albus said as he took out from behind his back and handed it back to her.

"But how did..." Annette began and then stopped as slowly the realization of exactly what Albus had done came to her.

"I'm sorry," Albus said earnestly. "But it was the only way I could think of to make sure you would be able to see the truth."

Annette smiled and nodded with understanding as she took her purse, and then they all thanked Nicholas one more time and left.

Harry lagged behind a moment and asked him, "How is the... you know what coming along?"

Nicholas smiled and replied, "It will be ready on January second at approximately two o'clock in the afternoon. And," he added seriously, "you must be here to go through it at exactly that time as it will otherwise fade out before you come and it will be another week before I can make another one."

Harry nodded and then rejoined the others.


	7. Chapter 7

It was six days later when Harry received an owl from Nicholas Flammel that the time portal had been fully created and was now ready for him to go through. So that morning Harry said goodbye to all the friends he had in this time period. He had to go to Nicholas' by himself as the others he knew would all be busy preparing to go back to Hogwarts.

"We're really going to miss you, Harry," said Joshua with sadness in his voice.

"I'll miss you, too," Harry said softly. "I'm just glad that you and Annette are together now."

"We had our first kiss last night," Joshua said with a grin.

Albus then stepped up and gave Harry a warm hug goodbye. "Goodbye, my friend," he said. "Though somehow I have a feeling we will meet again someday, some time."

"I have a feeling we will, too," said Harry, feeling a bit awkward about how in another hour he would be seeing Albus as not only a very old and wizened man but also as his Headmaster.

He then hugged each of the other boys in turn and then after saying one more goodbye to them all he went on his way towards the home of Nicholas Flammel.

He was about halfway there when he saw something lying on the road in front of him. He walked up to it and picked it up and saw that it was an old-fashioned watch. Then a moment later he felt something pinching him and pulling at his stomach. Then he closed his eyes in pain. He opened them a moment later and found himself found himself in a deep, dark, dank, and dreary dungeon all alone.

"How did I get here?" he wondered out loud.

He then got his answer as an all too familiar figure appeared out of the shadows surrounding and stepped in front of him. It was none other than Narco Malfoy. He had a look of sheer hatred on his face.

"I hope it smells good enough in here for you, Potter, because you will be here for the rest of your life which shouldn't be for very long now," he said.

"You put me here!" Harry exclaimed in realization. "You created a port-key out of this watch! But don't you know you'll be expelled for a thing like this?"

"Yes," replied Narco calmly. "But it will be worth it to get rid of you. If it hadn't been for you I could have had Annette for myself. I knew you only meant trouble for me the moment I saw you."

"But you never could have had Annette to yourself anyway!" Harry exclaimed. "She never loved you."

"But I could have made her if that Joshua was out of the way, and I almost did," Narco shot back. "Anyway," he added, "at least now the rats that live down here will have a feast." And with that he apparated out of the dungeon.

Harry began to panic now as he realized that now it would harder than ever to get back to his own time and to all those close to him. He also wondered and feared how his remaining here forever would effect the cosmic of time. Would the universe collapse onto itself and self-destruct?

His woeful thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly heard a haggard cough come from somewhere and a creaky, nasally voice that reminded him of Kreacher.

"Master has taken on yet another prisoner! Oh joy of joys!"

Harry looked in the direction of the sound of the voice and could just make out the outline of a creature standing bent slightly in the shadows. He could see a pair of long pointed and slightly floppy ears sticking out of the sides of its head and thought for sure it had to be a house-elf and he wondered briefly if maybe Kreacher had gone through the portal with him, but he guessed that had to be impossible.

"Who's there? Who are you? Show yourself?" Harry demanded.

The house elf now stepped slowly from the shadows and Harry could see he had a long pale and wrinkled face with a pointed nose and big round green eyes. He was wearing what seemed to be the tattered remains of a former pillowcase. He also had rags tied around his ankles and walked with a bend in his back almost as if hunched.

"I is Cobby, sir," he said. "Cobby the house elf."

_Cobby?_ The elf looked a lot like Kreacher, but it now reminded him more of Dobby. Harry began to wonder.

"I am Harry Potter," he said, knowing full well that no one would know him as the Chosen One in this time line.

The elf bent even lower and bowed its head. "Such an hour it is, good sir!" he said graciously.

Now Cobby reminded Harry even more of Dobby. He felt there was something he had to know.

"You're the Malfoys' house-elf aren't you," Harry said, feeling he already knew it.

"Yes, sir, Cobby was," replied Cobby.

"Was?" Harry inquired.

"Cobby is now too old to work and so Master Malfoy has put him in this dungeon until death mercifully comes to claim him."

"Well, how long do house-elves live?" Harry asked.

"Around a hundred years or so," Cobby replied.

"And how old are you, if you don't mind my asking?" Harry inquired.

"Cobby is ninety-nine years old, sir," Cobby said in his creaky voice.

"Tell me, Cobby, do you have any children? Any family at all?" Harry asked.

"Cobby has two children, sir. A boy and a girl," Cobby replied.

"Where are they?" Harry asked.

Tears began to well in the old elf's eyes. "Master had them sent away to home for baby elves as soon as they were done with nursing, that is usually what is done when house elves breed, and they are there until they come of age when they are able to be adopted by Wizard families and become proper house-elves."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Cobby," Harry said, feeling much empathy for the old elf and his children.

"One went to live with a family called the Dumbledores whom Cobby has heard Masters say nasty things about," Cobby continued ruefully, "and one went to live with a family called the Goyles who is friends of Masters. So if Cobby's daughter gets mated she may have an elf who gets sent back here to live."

Now Harry suddenly understand why the Dumbledore's elf, Grooby, had reminded him so much of Dobby.

"How is such a good and kind wizard like yourself ending up in such a place like this?" asked Cobby.

"Your younger master locked me in here by using this as a port-key," Harry explained as he held up the watch in the dim light for Cobby to see. "He harbors a grudge against me because he thinks because I came that he lost out on making Annette McCoy love him, as if he ever had a chance to begin with!"

"Cobby does not want such a kind young wizard to die all alone here, he doesn't," Cobby said with positivity. "He would like to get you out of here, and he thinks he may know a way to do it."

"You do? Really?" asked Harry very hopefully.

"Cobby could take that watch and turn it into a port-key in reverse, he thinks he could," Cobby said pointing a finger of skin and bone at the watch in Harry's hand.

"I hope so," said Harry as he came to him and handed him the watch.

Cobby then set to work concentrating on all of the magic he had left in him to create the port-key in reverse. And it was perhaps because he was so old and also because of how time-consuming the task was that it took almost an hour to do. Then he finally set the watch down and said, "Is done!"

"Thank you, Cobby," Harry said sincerely. "I'll never forget you."

Harry raced toward the watch and picked it up and once again he felt the same sensation as he felt when he had picked it up the first time. Then before he blinked he found himself standing outside in the exact same spot he was in an hour ago.

He looked at the watch and then he could only hope that it was going too fast as he saw how little time was left for the time portal to stay workable. He then dashed off at pace faster than he had ever gone before towards Nicholas Flammel's

He soon reached the house and Nicholas came to the door moments before he reached and waved his arms exclaiming, "Hurry! The time portal has only another five minutes of viability!"

Hearing this Harry ran so fast past him and into the house that it was a wonder he didn't knock him down in his rush. He entered into the adjoining room and found there was a big white light that was nearly blinding to his eyes and in the center of it was a large hole out of which he could very dimly see his old time and place through.

Harry kept running and then he made a flying leap for the time portal and went through it.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry fell face first into a thick heap of snow. He sat up and spit snow out of his mouth as he adjusted his glasses and looked around him. He saw that he was back in Hogsmeade in the exact place he had been before everything else had happened, and from the looks of everything around him he had to be back in his own time. It was still snowing though the blizzard had lightened up considerably so he guessed he must have arrived a while later than before he had left.

He then suddenly remembered about the Omnicron and looked around frantically for it in the snow. He finally found it laying underneath him to his left side in the snow. It seemed to be completely undamaged from the snow and now there was a green light on it glowing instead of a red one. He took this to mean a good sign.

He just then heard a high-pitched voice calling out to him from up the street. He looked ahead of him and saw Dobby hurrying toward him as fast as his little feet could carry him. He was wearing the maroon jumper given to him by Ron a few years ago and a floppy winter cap with pink fuzzy ear-muffs and one sock with snowflakes on it and another with stars on it.

"Harry Potter! Dobby thanks Goodness he has found you, he does!" he exclaimed breathlessly as he ran up to Harry and started to assist him to his feet.

"It's so good to see you, Dobby!" exclaimed Harry with immense relief as he picked up the small elf and hugged him closely. "How did you find me here?"

Dobby was quite startled by Harry's sudden burst of affection toward him. "Master Dumbledore was worried about Harry Potter, sir, when he was gone for so long," he explained as he tried to stay composed, "so he sent Dobby here to find you. He also mention about an Omni... something."

"Oh, yes! I've got it right here," Harry said as he quickly set Dobby down and took the Omnichron out of his pocket. "Thanks for coming to get me, Dobby. Let's head back to Hogwarts now."

They set off back toward Hogwarts and as they did Harry couldn't help looking at Dobby and thinking about Grooby and Cobby.

"Dobby, do you know anything about your heritage, I mean your family tree?" he asked.

"No, sir. Dobby doesn't know about his family at all. He just knows he lived at home for orphaned elves for five years before the Malfoys took him in," Dobby admitted plainly.

Harry smiled and nodded. "That's what I thought.."

They got back to Hogwarts shortly and Harry went straight into Dumbledore's office where he gave him the Omnichron.

"I must say it is about time you got back," Dumbledore said the moment he saw him. "I was beginning to worry about you."

"Sorry, Professor," said Harry. "Here is the Omnichron, and I now know what you meant by how powerful it is and to be careful handling it."

Dumbledore gave him a knowing smile. "I take it you had quite an adventure in getting it."

"You have no idea," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Oh, but I do," Dumbledore assured him.

"You mean... you know?" asked Harry rather surprised.

"Of course, I know everything," Dumbledore replied calmly. "I'm sure you've learned a lesson in handling things you don't know about. I'm very glad that everything turned out in the end, but it doesn't always turn out for the better, so just remember."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So did Narco Malfoy get expelled for what he did to me?" he asked.

"He did, indeed," replied Dumbledore smiling, "And he also never saw Annette McCoy ever again as she and Joshua got engaged shortly after seventh year ended, and Joshua was always much more confident about himself afterward and I do believe he raised his son to be that way. Now I have something I'd like to give to you."

Dumbledore then went to his desk and opened the middle drawer and took out a small black-and-white picture. He brought it over to Harry and he saw that it was of Dumbledore with his arms linked around Annette and Joshua.

"I found it this afternoon," Dumbledore explained. "And I thought I'd like to give it to you as a present as I thought you'd like to have it."

Harry smiled broadly as he took the picture and cradled it in his hands. As he looked at the teenage Dumbledore and his grandparents smiling and waving up at him he felt this was the second picture of his family he treasured the most after his parents wedding picture with Sirius beside them.

Harry looked up at Dumbledore again. "Thank you, Professor, very much," he said.

Dumbledore smiled. "I also found something around here I would like to give to your two friends, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger." He then went back to his desk and produced a large plain brown flat box that weighed next to nothing when he placed it in Harry's hands.

"What is it?" asked Harry curiously.

"It is a very special jigsaw puzzle," Dumbledore explained. "When two people who share a common bond put it together with each other a special message appears in it."

Harry understood what he was getting at and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Professor," he said again.

Harry then turned and started to walk out of the room. He turned back briefly and asked, "Professor, did you ever fall in love with a girl, too?"

Dumbledore replied simply and honestly. "No, I never did."

Harry thought that a bit strange at the moment but decided not to ask any further.

Harry then went down to the Gryfindor Common Room where he found Ron and Hermione. Hermione appeared to be deeply interested in a heavy book she was reading, and Ron was reading on of his own and looking very gloomy and distracted.

Harry came over to them and set the puzzle box on the their table in front of them. Opening the box he said, "Would either of you like to put together this puzzle with me?"

"Sure, I love puzzles," said Hermione as she set her book down.

"Don't mind if I do," said Ron.

They then worked on the puzzle for hours into the evening as it was quite a large one. When it was finally completed it showed a huge almost lifelike picture of the Hogwarts castle with a full moon shining and stars twinkling above it and the lake flowing smoothly. Then suddenly, right before their eyes, the stars in the sky above the castle began connecting together and spelling out a sentence.

When the sentence was completed it read, "Ron loves Hermione."

Hermione looked up at Ron with her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

Ron blushed as he smiled lopsidedly at her and admitted, "It's true."

Harry smiled and then he thought it best to leave his two friends to themselves for a while. He got up and left the Common Room and went to his dormitory, feeling at peace with the world just for tonight.


End file.
